This is what used to work, but doesn't anymore:

1. Make folder "/home/$USER/tmp/Zero-K"
2. sudo apt-get install xprintidle p7zip wget mono-complete fonts-freefont-otf libalure1 libdumb1 libwxbase2.8-0 libwxgtk2.8-0 otf-freefont
3. Download "Zero-K lobby client"; source => 'http://zero-k.info/lobby/Zero-K.exe', destination => "/home/$USER/tmp/Zero-K/Zero-K.exe",
4. Make folder "/home/$USER/.spring"
5. Make folder "/home/$USER/.spring/engine"
6. If $architecture='amd64' set $url

"http://springweblobby.googlecode.com/files/spring_91.0_portable_linux_amd64.zip" else if $architecture='i386' set $url

"http://springweblobby.googlecode.com/files/spring_91.0_portable_linux_i686.zip"
7. Download the $url, target => "/home/$USER/.spring/engine", make sure it extracts into subfolder '91.0'
8. Download 'https://zero-k.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/other/ZeroKLobby/ZK_logo_square.ico' into "/home/$USER/tmp/Zero-K/ZK_logo_square.ico",
9. Create the file "/home/$USER/.local/share/applications/Zero-K.desktop" with the proper shortcut

Currently game uses new engine maybe thats the problem? http://springrts.com/dl/buildbot/default/develop/97.0.1-7-gf5b77de/ its engine at the time.

I dont use ZKL under linux, but shouldnt it autodownload engines anyway?

Also as I understand ZKL does launch?

Do you have libsdl2 installed?

Did you try launching spring 97* directly from CLI?

THank you all for the help.

The problem is definitely spring97-related.

By no debug info when I launch the spring 97 via Zero-K web lobby, I mean that *no additional* output is produced after starting an actual game. I can post the normal output that gets produced when I start the web lobby and create a new multiplayer game.

When I run spring 97* from the command line I get the following error:

[ParseCmdLine] command-line args: "spring 97*"
Using configuration source: "/home/adam/.config/spring/springsettings.cfg"
Using additional configuration source: "/home/adam/.springrc"
Using additional configuration source: "/home/adam/.spring/springsettings.cfg"
Available log sections: KeyBindings, Sound, Font, AutohostInterface, Net, VFS, Texture, Path, CSMFGroundTextures, RoamMeshDrawer, BumpWater, DynWater, SkyBox, DecalsDrawerGL4, FarTextureHandler, Shader, Piece, Model, ModelDrawer, OBJParser, WorldObjectModelRenderer, GroundMoveType, UnitScript, CregSerializer, ArchiveScanner, LuaSocket
Enabled log sections: Sound(LOG_LEVEL_INFO)
Enable or disable log sections using the LogSections configuration key
or the SPRING_LOG_SECTIONS environment variable (both comma separated).
Use "none" to disable the default log sections.
LogOutput initialized.
Spring 96.0
Build date/time: Feb 16 2014 17:58:53
Build environment: boost-105400, GNU libstdc++ version 20140211
Compiler: gcc-4.8.2
OS: Linux 3.13.0-27-generic #50-Ubuntu SMP Thu May 15 18:06:16 UTC 2014 x86_64
OS: 64bit native mode
[CMyMath::Init] CPU SSE mask: 127, flags:
SSE 1.0: 1, SSE 2.0: 1
SSE 3.0: 1, SSSE 3.0: 1
SSE 4.1: 1, SSE 4.2: 1
SSE 4.0A: 0, SSE 5.0A: 0
using streflop SSE FP-math mode, CPU supports SSE instructions
Supported Video modes: 1920x1080, 1680x1050, 1600x1024, 1440x900, 1400x1050, 1360x768, 1280x1024, 1280x960, 1152x864, 1024x768, 800x600, 640x480
[SetSDLVideoMode] video mode set to 1920x1056/32bit (windowed)
[WatchDog::Install] disabled
[ThreadPool::SetThreadCount][1] #wanted=8 #current=1
[ThreadPool::SetThreadCount][2] #threads=7
Using read-write data directory: /home/adam/.config/spring/
Using read-only data directory: /home/adam/.spring/
Using read-only data directory: /usr/share/games/spring/
Using read-only data directory: /usr/lib/spring/
Scanning: /usr/share/games/spring/base
Scanning: /home/adam/.spring/maps
Scanning: /home/adam/.spring/games
Scanning: /home/adam/.spring/packages
[ThreadPool::SetThreadCount][1] #wanted=7 #current=8
[ThreadPool::SetThreadCount][2] #threads=6
[Threading] Main thread CPU affinity not set
[f=0000000] SDL version: 1.2.15
[f=0000000] GL version: 3.0 Mesa 10.1.3
[f=0000000] GL vendor: Intel Open Source Technology Center
[f=0000000] GL renderer: Mesa DRI Intel(R) Ivybridge Mobile
[f=0000000] GLSL version: 1.30
[f=0000000] GLEW version: 1.10.0
[f=0000000] Video RAM: unknown
[f=0000000] GL info:
haveARB: 0, haveGLSL: 0, ATI hacks: 1
FBO support: 1, NPOT-texture support: 1, 24bit Z-buffer support: 0
maximum texture size: 8192, compress MIP-map textures: 1
maximum SmoothPointSize: 255, maximum vec4 varying/attributes: 32/16
maximum drawbuffers: 8, maximum recommended indices/vertices: 3000/3000
number of UniformBufferBindings: 36 (16kB)
[f=0000000] VSync disabled
[f=0000000] Joysticks found: 0
[f=0000000] Warning: Joystick 0 not found
[f=0000000] [Initialize] CPU Clock: std::chrono::high_resolution_clock
[f=0000000] [Initialize] CPU Cores: 8
[f=0000000] [Startup] loading startscript from: 97*
[f=0000000] Error: [ErrorMessageBox][1] msg="Setup-script does not exist in given location: 97*" IsMainThread()=1 fromMain=0
[f=0000000] Error: [ErrorMessageBox][2]
[f=0000000] [SpringApp::ShutDown][1]
[f=0000000] [ThreadPool::SetThreadCount][1] #wanted=0 #current=7
[f=0000000] [ThreadPool::SetThreadCount][2] #threads=0
[f=0000000] [SpringApp::ShutDown][2]
[f=0000000] [SpringApp::ShutDown][3]
[f=0000000] [SpringApp::ShutDown][4]
[f=0000000] [SpringApp::ShutDown][5]
[f=0000000] [Sound] [~CSound][1] soundThread=0x2d03aa0
[f=0000000] [Sound] OpenAL info:
[f=0000000] [Sound] Available Devices:
[f=0000000] [Sound] OpenAL Soft
[f=0000000] [Sound] Device: OpenAL Soft
[f=0000000] [Sound] Vendor: OpenAL Community
[f=0000000] [Sound] Version: 1.1 ALSOFT 1.14
[f=0000000] [Sound] Renderer: OpenAL Soft
[f=0000000] [Sound] AL Extensions: AL_EXT_ALAW AL_EXT_DOUBLE AL_EXT_EXPONENT_DISTANCE AL_EXT_FLOAT32 AL_EXT_IMA4 AL_EXT_LINEAR_DISTANCE AL_EXT_MCFORMATS AL_EXT_MULAW AL_EXT_MULAW_MCFORMATS AL_EXT_OFFSET AL_EXT_source_distance_model AL_LOKI_quadriphonic AL_SOFT_buffer_samples AL_SOFT_buffer_sub_data AL_SOFTX_deferred_updates AL_SOFT_direct_channels AL_SOFT_loop_points
[f=0000000] [Sound] ALC Extensions: ALC_ENUMERATE_ALL_EXT ALC_ENUMERATION_EXT ALC_EXT_CAPTURE ALC_EXT_DEDICATED ALC_EXT_disconnect ALC_EXT_EFX ALC_EXT_thread_local_context ALC_SOFT_loopback
[f=0000000] [Sound] EFX Enabled: yes
[f=0000000] [Sound] Max Sounds: 16
[f=0000000] [Sound] [~CSound][2]
[f=0000000] [Sound] [~CSound][3]
[f=0000000] [SpringApp::ShutDown][6]
[f=0000000] [SpringApp::ShutDown][7]
[f=0000000] [SpringApp::ShutDown][8]
[f=0000000] [SpringApp::ShutDown][9]
[SpringApp::ShutDown][10]
[SpringApp::ShutDown][11]
[WatchDog::Uninstall][1] hangDetectorThread=(nil)
[SpringApp::ShutDown][12]
Error: [ErrorMessageBox][3]
Error: [ErrorMessageBox][4]
Fatal: Spring: Incorrect/Missing content:
Setup-script does not exist in given location: 97*

Which version of libsdl2 should I install? On Ubuntu 14.04 I've got the following instalation cadidates:
libsdl2-2.0-0 libsdl2-image-2.0-0 libsdl2-net-dbg
libsdl2-dbg libsdl2-image-dbg libsdl2-net-dev
libsdl2-dev libsdl2-image-dev libsdl2-ttf-2.0-0
libsdl2-gfx-1.0-0 libsdl2-mixer-2.0-0 libsdl2-ttf-dbg
libsdl2-gfx-dbg libsdl2-mixer-dbg libsdl2-ttf-dev
libsdl2-gfx-dev libsdl2-mixer-dev
libsdl2-gfx-doc libsdl2-net-2.0-0

polemic

Although not being a developer I can never be sure about where the error is, the party that gets upset is the spring engine. At least this is what the Zero-K lobby says. I suspect that in fact the spring engine never gets called, but I have nothing to prove it.

Besides this, the Zero-K web lobby works more-or-less properly; it never worked without visual glitches (disappearing controls) for me.

polemic: "I can't remember how I got it working originally" should be the official motto of Linux ppl using applications built with MS Vis Studio.

sisteczko: the log you posted has at some point has:

LogOutput initialized.
Spring 96.0
Build date/time: Feb 16 2014 17:58:53

This makes me think it is not 0.97 but an older version. As a note, the command line execution log that you posted, does not seem to be related at all with a library problem.

Anarchid No. The command was «spring 97*».

How far does ZKL get now, then?

Admittedly, there may be some confusion about spring version numbers. When I start up ZKL, I see:

/home/adam/Zero-K.exe Information : 0 : SpringPaths: SPRING_DATADIR: /home/adam/.spring:/home/adam/.spring/engine/91.0:/home/adam/.spring/engine
....
/home/adam/Zero-K.exe Information : 0 : Server is using Spring version 96.0
/home/adam/Zero-K.exe Information : 0 : TASC: Welcome, CovertMagic!

But when I created a room and joined, that's when 97.x kicks in:

/home/adam/Zero-K.exe Information : 0 : SpringPaths: SPRING_DATADIR: /home/adam/.spring:/home/adam/.spring/engine/97.0.1-3-gda04dd2:/home/adam/.spring/engine
/home/adam/Zero-K.exe Information : 0 : SpringPaths: SPRING_WRITEDIR: /home/adam/.spring
/home/adam/Zero-K.exe Information : 0 : SpringPaths: SPRING_ISOLATED: /home/adam/.spring

Aside #1: have you tried SpringWebLobby, or other lobbies? I found that SWL was much easier to install on Ubuntu.

Aside #2: are all Ubuntu-using Zero-K players called Adam?

Edit: I wanted [pre] or [code] tags... ;( Never mind!

Pressing the button "Settings -> Open Game Data Folder" doesn't do anything (and never did).

I guess it is because in Linux we don't have "explorer.exe"...

Too bad that no error message is spewed on the console, though.